“Emotion is the chief source of all becoming conscious. There can be no transforming of darkness in to light and of apathy into movement without emotion.”  Eric Jung

Today started off a lot drier than yesterday. It wasn’t sunny first thing, but as we drove to the sites in the morning there was fog nestled in the mountains. If you haven’t seen that sight before, you are missing something of beauty.

Today we had several different crews heading out for the day. One group went back up to Long Branch to work on the porch that was started yesterday. With the drier weather and a hard working crew, the porch was finished by the end of the day. By all accounts, it looks wonderful and will be much enjoyed by the four generations of family we have met over the days.

A second group returned to the site outside of Baileysville. Today the group focused on the roof and on the front porch railings. The roof had been leaking in several places. It took a little tar, a little caulk and a lot of creativity, but we think the roof should be much better at keeping its occupants dry. The work we did on the porch was to replace the railings and make it a lot safer. It looks like one more day of work and we should be done at this site as well.

A third crew took on the role of furniture movers in the morning. A local couple from the parish are moving and wanted to donate some furniture to St. Vincent DePaul for distribution. A couple truckloads and some PV muscle later and the task was complete. We will miss you Wilburn and Kathy!

With all the furniture moving, porch building and roof repairing done today, it is no wonder why everyone had a bit of an appetite tonight. Tonight is the traditional “Breakfast for Dinner” night where several men cook the dinner. This is also the night where we take pity on our cook has to cleanup after them : ) All kidding aside, breakfast for dinner is always a nice treat. You can’t really go wrong with pancakes, bacon and eggs.

Tonight’s reflection asked us to think of a time while in West Virginia that we had a moment, or moments when we knew we were right where God wanted us to be.

“Emotion is the chief source of all becoming conscious. There can be no transforming of darkness in to light and of apathy into movement without emotion.”  Eric Jung

Today started off a lot drier than yesterday. It wasn’t sunny first thing, but as we drove to the sites in the morning there was fog nestled in the mountains. If you haven’t seen that sight before, you are missing something of beauty.

Today we had several different crews heading out for the day. One group went back up to Long Branch to work on the porch that was started yesterday. With the drier weather and a hard working crew, the porch was finished by the end of the day. By all accounts, it looks wonderful and will be much enjoyed by the four generations of family we have met over the days.

A second group returned to the site outside of Baileysville. Today the group focused on the roof and on the front porch railings. The roof had been leaking in several places. It took a little tar, a little caulk and a lot of creativity, but we think the roof should be much better at keeping its occupants dry. The work we did on the porch was to replace the railings and make it a lot safer. It looks like one more day of work and we should be done at this site as well.

A third crew took on the role of furniture movers in the morning. A local couple from the parish are moving and wanted to donate some furniture to St. Vincent DePaul for distribution. A couple truckloads and some PV muscle later and the task was complete. We will miss you Wilburn and Kathy!

With all the furniture moving, porch building and roof repairing done today, it is no wonder why everyone had a bit of an appetite tonight. Tonight is the traditional “Breakfast for Dinner” night where several men cook the dinner. This is also the night where we take pity on our cook has to cleanup after them : ) All kidding aside, breakfast for dinner is always a nice treat. You can’t really go wrong with pancakes, bacon and eggs.

Tonight’s reflection asked us to think of a time while in West Virginia that we had a moment, or moments when we knew we were right where God wanted us to be.

“From a mighty spark may burst a mighty flame.”  Dante

We awoke this morning to sound of rain bouncing off the metal roof of the school. It was a cool rainy morning in Hanover. We spent the first half of the day waiting for the rain stop, if not to at least slow down a bit. The creek behind the school started to sound a bit like an ocean, but because of recent dry weather, still had room before it reached a level that would be worrisome.

After eating lunch at the school, the brave volunteers headed out into the sprinkling rain with the promise of clearing skies in the near future. Both sites were able to accomplish quite a bit in their abbreviated day. One group worked in Long Branch repairing a porch. Today the volunteers were able to tear off all the deck boards that were going to be replaced, as well as the railings and stairs. Now that the group removed all the old, damaged wood, we will be replacing the deck boards with new boards and putting on new railings and building new stairs.

The other group worked over near Baileysville. There are several small projects that need to be done at this house, but because of the weather, today the group focused on some of the flooring that needed to be replaced in various areas of the trailer.

We worked a little later than normal today because we had such an abbreviated day, but that didn’t make anyone less hungry for the meal that awaited us. Really it was two meals, one the was special for the vegetarians and one for those that prefer a little meat in their meals. The vegetarians were treated to a wonderful Mediterranean dish, while the meat eaters enjoyed a cheeseburger pie.  The wonderful meal was topped of with a magnificent recreation of a s’mores/cheesecake combo.

The unexpected was the theme for reflection.It started with part of a Run DMC song as a way to introduce the idea of the unexpected. We were ask to share something from our day or time in WV that was unexpected.

“From a mighty spark may burst a mighty flame.”  Dante

We awoke this morning to sound of rain bouncing off the metal roof of the school. It was a cool rainy morning in Hanover. We spent the first half of the day waiting for the rain stop, if not to at least slow down a bit. The creek behind the school started to sound a bit like an ocean, but because of recent dry weather, still had room before it reached a level that would be worrisome.

After eating lunch at the school, the brave volunteers headed out into the sprinkling rain with the promise of clearing skies in the near future. Both sites were able to accomplish quite a bit in their abbreviated day. One group worked in Long Branch repairing a porch. Today the volunteers were able to tear off all the deck boards that were going to be replaced, as well as the railings and stairs. Now that the group removed all the old, damaged wood, we will be replacing the deck boards with new boards and putting on new railings and building new stairs.

The other group worked over near Baileysville. There are several small projects that need to be done at this house, but because of the weather, today the group focused on some of the flooring that needed to be replaced in various areas of the trailer.

We worked a little later than normal today because we had such an abbreviated day, but that didn’t make anyone less hungry for the meal that awaited us. Really it was two meals, one the was special for the vegetarians and one for those that prefer a little meat in their meals. The vegetarians were treated to a wonderful Mediterranean dish, while the meat eaters enjoyed a cheeseburger pie.  The wonderful meal was topped of with a magnificent recreation of a s’mores/cheesecake combo.

The unexpected was the theme for reflection.It started with part of a Run DMC song as a way to introduce the idea of the unexpected. We were ask to share something from our day or time in WV that was unexpected.

“From a mighty spark may burst a mighty flame.”  Dante

We awoke this morning to sound of rain bouncing off the metal roof of the school. It was a cool rainy morning in Hanover. We spent the first half of the day waiting for the rain stop, if not to at least slow down a bit. The creek behind the school started to sound a bit like an ocean, but because of recent dry weather, still had room before it reached a level that would be worrisome.

After eating lunch at the school, the brave volunteers headed out into the sprinkling rain with the promise of clearing skies in the near future. Both sites were able to accomplish quite a bit in their abbreviated day. One group worked in Long Branch repairing a porch. Today the volunteers were able to tear off all the deck boards that were going to be replaced, as well as the railings and stairs. Now that the group removed all the old, damaged wood, we will be replacing the deck boards with new boards and putting on new railings and building new stairs.

The other group worked over near Baileysville. There are several small projects that need to be done at this house, but because of the weather, today the group focused on some of the flooring that needed to be replaced in various areas of the trailer.

We worked a little later than normal today because we had such an abbreviated day, but that didn’t make anyone less hungry for the meal that awaited us. Really it was two meals, one the was special for the vegetarians and one for those that prefer a little meat in their meals. The vegetarians were treated to a wonderful Mediterranean dish, while the meat eaters enjoyed a cheeseburger pie.  The wonderful meal was topped of with a magnificent recreation of a s’mores/cheesecake combo.

The unexpected was the theme for reflection.It started with part of a Run DMC song as a way to introduce the idea of the unexpected. We were ask to share something from our day or time in WV that was unexpected.

“Love cannot remain by itself-it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service.”
Mother Teresa

Today the volunteers had the task of helping to organize the worksite hallway and the school to help the run to run more smoothly. The beginning of the program this year bumped right into the end of the school year for Wyoming County Schools so we weren’t able to get much of a head start setting up the school. Everything looks wonderful and ensures a very smooth summer. If you are coming later in the summer, you have this group of volunteers to thank for their organizational skills.

Our community dinner tonight consisted of baked ziti (from the PV Cookbook, thanks Rocco!), garlic bread and salad. A very simple meal, yet very satisfying.

In the evening we reflected on what the experience of coming to volunteer means to us. We had a nice sharing amongst the community. After reflection we talked about the day ahead, which jobsites we are doing and volunteers signed up for their sites.

“Love cannot remain by itself-it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service.”
Mother Teresa

Today the volunteers had the task of helping to organize the worksite hallway and the school to help the run to run more smoothly. The beginning of the program this year bumped right into the end of the school year for Wyoming County Schools so we weren’t able to get much of a head start setting up the school. Everything looks wonderful and ensures a very smooth summer. If you are coming later in the summer, you have this group of volunteers to thank for their organizational skills.

Our community dinner tonight consisted of baked ziti (from the PV Cookbook, thanks Rocco!), garlic bread and salad. A very simple meal, yet very satisfying.

In the evening we reflected on what the experience of coming to volunteer means to us. We had a nice sharing amongst the community. After reflection we talked about the day ahead, which jobsites we are doing and volunteers signed up for their sites.

“Love cannot remain by itself-it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service.”
Mother Teresa

Today the volunteers had the task of helping to organize the worksite hallway and the school to help the run to run more smoothly. The beginning of the program this year bumped right into the end of the school year for Wyoming County Schools so we weren’t able to get much of a head start setting up the school. Everything looks wonderful and ensures a very smooth summer. If you are coming later in the summer, you have this group of volunteers to thank for their organizational skills.

Our community dinner tonight consisted of baked ziti (from the PV Cookbook, thanks Rocco!), garlic bread and salad. A very simple meal, yet very satisfying.

In the evening we reflected on what the experience of coming to volunteer means to us. We had a nice sharing amongst the community. After reflection we talked about the day ahead, which jobsites we are doing and volunteers signed up for their sites.

We are off and running in West Virginia! The 2013 PV Summer Program began this weekend. Volunteers started arriving on Saturday for another summer of service, community and reflection. After Mass on Sunday the PV community headed up to RD Bailey Lake Dam for a little community time and to take in the wonderful view.

We shared our first community meal together and followed that with a re-orientation. The night closed with the traditional PV Commissioning Service. Before beginning the week it is always nice to have the service as a way of connecting with our past and preparing ourselves for whatever lies ahead in the week to come.

We are ready for all the adventures that lie ahead and we hope you will journey with us. Each day we will be posting about our activities and on the weekends, pictures from the week.

We are off and running in West Virginia! The 2013 PV Summer Program began this weekend. Volunteers started arriving on Saturday for another summer of service, community and reflection. After Mass on Sunday the PV community headed up to RD Bailey Lake Dam for a little community time and to take in the wonderful view.

We shared our first community meal together and followed that with a re-orientation. The night closed with the traditional PV Commissioning Service. Before beginning the week it is always nice to have the service as a way of connecting with our past and preparing ourselves for whatever lies ahead in the week to come.

We are ready for all the adventures that lie ahead and we hope you will journey with us. Each day we will be posting about our activities and on the weekends, pictures from the week.